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depuis
To indicate the starting date or duration of an action or situation which is still going on in the present, use the preposition depuis + a time expression.
Note that depuis can mean two different things in English. When depuis is followed by a length of time, as in the first example below,
it indicates duration and is translated into English by 'for'. When depuis is followed by a date or a point in time, as in the second example,
it indicates the starting point and is translated by 'since'.
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| Tex sort avec Tammy depuis un an. |
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Tex has been going out with Tammy for one year. |
| Tex sort avec Tammy depuis septembre. |
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Tex has been going out with Tammy since September. |
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In a question, depuis is generally translated as 'how long' or 'since when'.
In most cases, such questions with depuis can be answered with either the expression of duration or the beginning point.
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| duration |
(for how long?) |
starting point |
(since when?) |
| Depuis combien de temps ... |
How long ... |
Depuis quand ... |
Since when ... |
| ... Bette est-elle amoureuse de Tex? |
... has Bette been in love with Tex? |
... Bette est-elle amoureuse de Tex? |
... has Bette been in love with Tex? |
| Elle est amoureuse de lui ... |
She has been in love with him ... |
Elle est amoureuse de lui ... |
She has been in love with him ... |
| ... depuis un an. |
... for one year. |
... depuis le 20 août. |
... since August 20. |
| ... depuis deux minutes. |
... for two minutes. |
... depuis lundi. |
... since Monday. |
| ... depuis une éternité. |
... for ages. |
... depuis son arrivée. |
... since his arrival. |
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other uses of depuis
When used at the beginning of a sentence without any complement and followed by a comma, depuis is usually translated as 'since then'.
For example:
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| Bette a vu Tex le jour de son arrivée à UT et depuis, elle n'arrête pas de penser à lui. |
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Bette saw Tex on the day of his arrival at UT and since then, she has not stopped thinking about him. |
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In negative sentences, depending on the meaning, depuis may be used with either the present (action still going on)
or the passé composé to indicate how long something has not been going on (non-action).
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| Tex: Je ne suis pas au Texas depuis longtemps. |
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Tex: I haven't been in Texas for long. (Tex is still in Texas) |
| Tex: Je ne suis pas allé en France depuis l'été dernier. |
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Tex: I haven't been to France since last summer. (Tex is not in France now) |
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Listen to the dialogue:
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| Bette: Tex, depuis quand es-tu au Texas? |
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Bette: How long have you been in Texas? |
| Tex: Je ne suis pas au Texas depuis longtemps. Je suis au Texas depuis 1998. |
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Tex: I have not been in Texas for long. I have been in Texas since 1998. |
| Bette: Tex, depuis quand connais-tu Tammy? |
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Bette: Tex, how long have you known Tammy? |
| Tex: Je connais Tammy depuis deux ans. |
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Tex: I have known Tammy for two years. |
| Bette: Depuis quand veux-tu devenir poète? |
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Bette: How long have you wanted to become a poet? |
| Tex: Oh, depuis toujours! |
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Tex: Oh, I have always wanted to! |
| Bette: Depuis quand n'es-tu pas allé en France? |
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Bette: How long have you not been in France? |
| Tex: Je ne suis pas allé en France depuis l'été dernier. Et toi, Bette, depuis quand as-tu ce tatouage?! |
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Tex: I haven't been in France since last summer. And you, Bette, how long have you had this tattoo?! |
| Bette: Oh, depuis lundi. Ça fait cool, tu ne trouves pas? Depuis, les mecs ne me quittent pas des yeux! |
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Bette: Oh, since Monday. Cool, isn't it? Since then, guys have not been able to take their eyes off me! |
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il y a ... que, ça fait ... que, voilà ... que
Il y a ... que, ça fait ... que and, more emphatic, voilà ... que express duration only.
Unlike depuis, they are always used at the beginning of a sentence. For example:
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| Bette: Tex, ça fait longtemps que tu enseignes le français? |
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Bette: Tex, how long have you been teaching French? |
| Tex: Voilà un an que j'enseigne le français. |
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Tex: I've been teaching French for a year. |
| Bette: Tex, il y a combien de temps que tu connais Tammy? |
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Bette: Tex, how long have you known Tammy? |
| Tex: Ça fait deux ans. |
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Tex: It's been two years. |
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Although il y a ... que and ça fait ... que may occasionally be found in the future
(il y aura ... que, ça fera ... que), the subordinate clause introduced by que is never in the future. It remains in the present. For example:
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| Bette: Tex, il y a combien de temps que tu connais Tammy? |
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Bette: Tex, how long have you known Tammy? |
| Il y aura deux ans demain que je connais Tammy. |
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Tex: It will be two years tomorrow (that I have known Tammy). |
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